OTT (Over The Top) is available as a data distribution method by which a content of image data, sound data and so forth can be distributed irrespective of a service form of individual telecommunication carriers. A distribution content by OTT is called OTT content, and a distribution service of image (video) data in which OTT is utilized is called OTT video or OTT-V (Over The Top Video).
The DASH (Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP) standard is available as a data streaming distribution standard according to OTT-V. DASH is a standard relating to adaptive (adaptive) streaming distribution that uses a streaming protocol based on HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol).
In adaptive (adaptive) streaming, in order to allow content reproduction by various clients, which become a data distribution destination, a content distribution server of a broadcasting station or the like produces a manifest file that describes segmented files of a video content of a plurality of bit rates and attribute information or a URL of the segmented files and provides the produced manifest file to a client.
The client would acquire the manifest file from a server, select an optimum bit rate content according to a size of a display unit of an own apparatus or an available communication band, and receive and reproduce the selected content. Also it is possible to perform dynamic change of the bit rate in response to a variation of the network band, and the client side can switchably receive an optimum content in accordance with a situation from time to time, and reproduction of a video content by which occurrence of video interruption is reduced is implemented. It is to be noted that adaptive (adaptive) streaming is described, for example, in PTL 1 (JP 2011-87103 A).
Development and standardization of a system for transmitting and receiving a content such as a broadcasting program using unidirectional communication by a broadcasting wave or the like or bidirectional communication or unidirectional communication through a network such as the Internet from a broadcasting station or some other transmission apparatus such as a content server to a reception apparatus such as a television set, a PC (Personal Computer) or a portable terminal are proceeding actively.
It is to be noted that, as a related-art document that discloses a technology for implementing data distribution through a broadcasting wave and a network, for example, PTL 2 (JP 2014-057227 A) is available.
As a standard relating to a data distribution system through a broadcasting wave and a network, standardization of ATSC (Advanced Television System Committee) 3.0 is currently proceeding.
In ATSC3.0, a configuration is being investigated wherein middleware for executing a reception process and so forth of ATSC3.0 broadcasting is incorporated in a broadcast distribution device (tuner-mounting device) having the ATSC3.0 compliant physical layer (ATSC-PHY) incorporated therein such that signaling data including control information and so forth for ATSC broadcasting is received to allow various controls based on the signaling data.
In particular, a configuration is being investigated wherein control based on signaling data can implement output processing of a broadcasting content or data processing that utilizes various applications provided by a broadcasting wave or the like utilizing an application program utilized on the Internet or the like, namely, a client application, as it is.
For example, into a server that is installed in a home or at a hot spot and receives a broadcasting service (in addition to a server for exclusive use, a PC, a TV (Television) set, a tablet, a smartphone or the like), the ATSC3.0 compliant physical layer (ATSC-PHY) and ATSC3.0 broadcasting reception middleware are incorporated.
After the ATSC3.0 broadcasting service is received once, the servers transfer the broadcasting reception data to a user apparatus (a PC, a TV set, a tablet, a smartphone or the like) through a network (a home network or a LAN/Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) at a hot spot or the like).
The user apparatus to which the broadcasting reception data transferred through a server is inputted can execute reproduction of a broadcasting content or various applications distributed by the broadcasting utilizing an application that operates on a reproduction controlling unit or an application controlling unit of the user apparatus (for example, an ATSC3.0 DASH client application).
In this form, the middleware that executes analysis and so forth of signaling data including control information of the ATSC3.0 broadcasting service becomes a termination device which can perform immediate analysis processing at a reception timing of the signaling data. As a result, such a case occurs that the reproduction controlling unit or the application controlling unit of the user apparatus at the succeeding stage cannot perform a process according to an analysis result of the signaling data transmitted by a broadcasting wave or the like as an immediate process that does not give rise to a delay from the reception timing of the signaling data.
However, the signaling data processed by the middleware sometimes includes an application control message. This message is a message to be utilized for control of the application executed by the application controlling unit at the succeeding stage, and there is a problem that the application controlling unit cannot perform correct application control if it does not refer to the application control message.